As we all know, Chairman Mao worked in the library of Peking University when he was young, read a lot of books, and also got to know many young people with lofty ideals.
Chairman Mao was just a young man in Hunan who had no money, no power, and was not familiar with life, so how did he get this job? What is the specific position? Let's take a look.
In August 1918, Chairman Mao, Cai Hesen, Xiao Zisheng, Li Weihan and other young people with lofty ideals in Hunan came to Beijing in order to find the truth to save the country and save the people.
At that time, Chairman Mao did not have much money, so he shared a small room with 8 people, and he could not sleep at night.
In order to save money, Chairman Mao only ate two meals a day, and later everyone bought flour, made their own steamed buns, and ate them with pickles.
However, these hardships in life did not dampen their enthusiasm for seeking the truth, and Chairman Mao soaked in the library of Peking University every day to read and study.
It was here that Chairman Mao met Li Dazhao, but at first they did not communicate, when Chairman Mao was just a young man seeking knowledge, and Li Dazhao was the director of the Peking University Library, and he was very busy every day and did not have time to pay attention to such a young man.
However, as time grew, Li Dazhao saw Chairman Mao more and more often, and gradually became impressed by this diligent and studious Hunan youth, and began to take the initiative to chat with him, and the more he talked, the more speculative he became, and he was very interested in this Hunan youth.
Speaking of Chairman Mao, although he had already cut back on food and clothing, because he had no financial resources, his life was becoming more and more embarrassing, so Chairman Mao found his mentor Yang Changji, hoping that he could help him find a job at Peking University and solve the problem of eating.
Yang Changji also attached great importance to this student, so he went to find Li Dazhao and mentioned the matter.
When Li Dazhao heard that he was the young man from Hunan who came to the library every day to read books, he also agreed very happily, found Jiang Menglin, the acting president of Peking University, and helped Chairman Mao find a job in the library of Peking University, with a monthly salary of 8 yuan, although it was not much, but also helped Chairman Mao solve big problems.
So, what exactly was Chairman Mao's position at that time?
According to some party history sources, Chairman Mao was working as a librarian at Peking University at that time, and some said he was an assistant. But in fact, the Peking University Library does not have these two positions, only teaching assistants, clerks, secretaries and miscellaneous staff. So, what position is Chairman Mao?
Later, Jiang Menglin, who was the acting president of Peking University at the time, recalled this problem and had a very detailed record.
At that time, Li Dazhao found Jiang Menglin, entered the door and smiled and said: "Principal Jiang, there is a young man named Mao Zedong, what if there is no food to eat?" ”
While asking the staff to pour water for Li Dazhao, Jiang Menglin smiled and said, "I heard that there are a few young people from Hunan who are very thoughtful, let them run a cooperative by themselves." ”
Li Dazhao smiled and said, "This previous method did not work, and it was already bankrupt." ”
Jiang Menglin thought for a while and said to Li Dazhao, "Then arrange a position in your library." ”
Li Dazhao said: "That line, you approved, I will arrange it in the library, let him be a secretary." ”
Jiang Menglin agreed, and also took out a sticky note, which read: "Send Mao Zedong as the secretary of the library, please handle it." After writing it, he handed the note to Li Dazhao and asked him to hand it to the General Affairs Office to go through the entry procedures.
Judging from This recollection of Jiang Menglin, Chairman Mao served as a secretary in the Library of Peking University, not as an administrator or assistant who had been widely circulated before.
In addition, it should be noted that this "secretary" is not what we mean today, at that time, it was only the bottom job responsible for registering everyone's borrowing books, and the salary was only eight yuan, which was incomparable with the three or four hundred yuan per month salary of those professors.
So, why did Jiang Menglin agree so happily? In addition to Li Dazhao's request, there is another important reason, that is, Cai Yuanpei also handed him a note.
It turned out that Chairman Mao had written a cover letter to Cai Yuanpei, and Cai Yuanpei had always taken good care of young people with lofty ideals, so he specially wrote two letters, one to Li Dazhao and the other to Jiang Menglin, all with the same content, hoping that they could arrange a secretary position for Mao Zedong in the library, and work while studying, without delay.
When Li Dazhao came to find Jiang Menglin, out of respect, he did not move out of Cai Yuanpei to suppress him, but only said that this was his own request, and Jiang Menglin also pushed the boat along the water and gave Li Dazhao a face, without saying that Cai Yuanpei had arranged this matter.
In this way, with the help of Yang Changji, Li Dazhao, Cai Yuanpei, Jiang Menglin and others, Chairman Mao served as a secretary in the Peking University Library, responsible for the management of Chinese and foreign newspapers in the second reading room, and sometimes did some binding and printing work.
Although this job is not important, it is a very suitable job for Chairman Mao, because he can justifiably read a large number of books in it, and he can have contact with many progressive people such as Li Dazhao, which greatly broadens his horizons and enhances his life realm.
Later, Chairman Mao said gratefully: "When I was running for the truth of saving the country and saving the people, I suffered a lot, and I met a very good person in Peiping, that is, Comrade Li Dazhao, and with his help I became a Marxist-Leninist, he was my real teacher, and without his guidance and teaching, I would not know where I am today." ”
Source: History Inn 2020
Author: Ma Shaohua